Need vs Want
by tangerinefever
Summary: Katara wants to be needed. She needs to be needed. But he's just not the type of person who needs things... Zutara, one shot


**EDIT: _Fixed paragraphing and some spelling issues! Thanks for all the great amazing fanstastic reviews!!_**

**A/N:** This is my first time writing a Zutara fanfic, but I thought that I might as well give it a try. Just a simple one-shot, only took me a day or so. WELL READ ON MY PRETTIES!

Disclaimer: I don't own it.

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Katara liked to feel needed.

Maybe it came down to her mothering nature, or her desire to help others in need. Maybe it came from growing up living in such a close-knit community of friends and family.

In any case, Katara liked to feel like others needed her.

It was like a sense of belonging, she thought. That she could be in someone else's heart, become a necessary feature in their day-to-day lives. If she could use her skills to assist another person, whether it be lending a friend her shoulder to cry on, or helping Aang to save the world, she was doing something worthwhile in her life. They needed her, for whatever reason it may be.

Katara considered her goals in life to be of utmost importance. Her main goal was to protect those that she loved. Others included becoming a master healer as well as a master waterbender, setting up a school in her village to teach children waterbending and healing, helping Aang maintain peace by being elected as the representative for the Southern Water Tribes.

Basically, all her goals revolved around being needed.

She had to become a master healer, so she could save more people's lives. People all over the world need her.

She had to set up a school, so she could teach her skills to others and thus pass on her knowledge for future generations. The children and those whom they would help in the future needed her.

She had to help Aang in any way possible, to help maintain the peace they had fought for. The best way to do this was to become the representative of her tribe, so she could attend the meetings and help Aang negotiate with world leaders. The people of the world, all the people who had lost so much in the war, needed her.

Her brother was always telling her that she was too busy helping other people, never helping herself. But Katara told him each time, that by helping other people she _was_ helping herself.  
"My life only revolves around helping other people because it makes me happy," she would explain. "Stop worrying about whether I'm satisfied with my lifestyle. I really don't mind not going home, if it means I can travel and offer aid to people who lost everything during the war."

"But the war is _over_ Katara."

"Just because the actual fighting is over doesn't mean that people aren't still suffering Sokka."

Sokka would shrug his shoulders.  
"You'll see. One day, you'll wake up and realise that it's time to stop putting other people before yourself. You don't _need_ to feel obliged to save everyone. It's _okay _to be selfish sometimes, Katara."

Katara shook her head in disappointment.  
"No Sokka, it's _not_ okay! Aang is the Avatar, but under it all he's still just a teenager. He _needs_ my help! There's no way he can do this all by himself. Maybe it's time you _stopped_ being selfish, and started putting others before yourself!" She regretted her words as soon as she said them, and quickly reached out to her brother. "I'm sorry Sokka, I didn't mean-"

"I _do_ put others before me, Katara! I put my wife and child before me! I put my friends and family before me! But the trouble with you is that you just don't know where to draw the line! You _invent_ problems, just so you can solve them! The world isn't relying on you to do everything, and you're not going to burn for eternity for taking a break."

And as she watched her brother board the ship to return to the South Pole, she wondered if maybe, just maybe, he was right.

Katara hated feeling useless.

Aang was busy with his responsibilities, and she hardly saw him anymore. He no longer needed her constant company, instead spending more and more time meditating or working.

Sokka had returned home a month ago, and she hadn't even received a letter from him. He no longer needed her to mother him, now fully grown with a family to take care of, and to take care of him.

Toph was running her estate and tripling it's wealth, and although she was coming to visit both her and Aang at the Fire Palace, Katara had the feeling that the main reason she was coming was to visit Aang, not her.

Even Zuko, Katara laughed bitterly, wouldn't need her soon. When she first arrived at the palace, she was determined to make sure he didn't return to his former 'royal' personality, after finally receiving the title of Fire Lord. He had become almost…well…_sociable_ after travelling with the Gang. Katara had even managed to place some sort of trust in him again, after journeying and battling together. To have him return to his prickly, arrogant self after such progression on his part, she reasoned, would be disastrous. He _needed_ her to help him stay a moderately friendly person, and calm leader.

So she had arrived at the Fire Palace with determination in her eyes. Yes, she was here to help Aang maintain peace, but she would also help Zuko-make that _Fire Lord_ Zuko.

It had all been good at the beginning. She and Sokka would help Aang with his endless work. Whenever she got the chance, she would also seek out Zuko. _Strictly_ for the sake of helping him, she reminded herself and her suspicious brother.

At first he was not unfriendly, but still guarded from her questions.

After a while, she found that he opened up to her, and they started spending more and more time together.

After Sokka left the Fire Nation to return to his family, her time Aang and Zuko prevented her from feeling too lonely.

When Aang started withdrawing from her, Katara felt slightly lost, not knowing quite what to do, since her whole purpose for coming here was to help him. But no, she reminded herself; she had also come for Zuko.

So she turned full attention to him, single-minded in helping him. Because that was all she was doing. Helping a friend reach his full potential, as a leader and a person. And he helped her feel needed, like making his uncle organize shifts at a nearby health clinic for her.

"So you can put your skills to use." He explained self-consciously.

Katara, in glee, launched herself at him for a hug.  
'You see, Sokka?' she thought triumphantly. 'I don't invent problems! Zuko _did_ need my help. Even Iroh said that since I've been here, Zuko has become a lot happier and friendlier.'

However, Katara failed to notice the slight blush covering Zuko's face.

Katara had always been a fairly sensible girl.

She was practical, if anything, even as a child. Of course, her emotions clouded her judgement more often than she liked. But the years had made her prudent, and she knew when and what things had to be done, and how to do them efficiently. It was this sensibility that enabled her to deal with the stressful situations she was often in. It also meant that Katara knew it was time to move on from the Fire Nation. Her work was done here, and Katara intended to travel to the Earth Kingdom.

Katara was a sensible woman, and didn't let her emotions run away with her anymore.

So why was her heart arguing with her head? And why were they fighting over, of all people, _Zuko?_

It was ridiculous, she knew. Not only that, it was downright _dangerous._ How could she not have seen this coming? Surely someone as astute as she would have realised this might happen.

But of course, love did strange things to a person's head.  
'No!' she inwardly shouted, clenching her fists. 'I _do not _love him.'  
Fuming, she leaned against the wall, sighing dejectedly. She knew that it was absurd, to be even thinking about her friend, the Fire Lord, _Zuko_, in such a way.

She hadn't planned for this. She had come to the Fire Nation to help Aang. Making sure Zuko was still emotionally balanced had been only secondary. Now both her goals were fulfilled.

Aang had been dealing with his duties without her assistance for weeks, and even if he did suddenly become overburdened, he had Toph to help him now.

Zuko had become so downright _cheerful_ that he had begun scaring the servants, resulting in Iroh being accused of slipping him those 'happy pills' again.

Katara had absolutely no need to remain here, and every reason to move on.

So why was it so damn hard to convince herself that?

Katara could hear familiar footsteps approaching her room, and she was suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to run. Looking around desperately, Katara launched herself through the adjoining sitting room and was halfway out the open window before a voice laced with barely concealed laughter reached her.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Even in her current position, she felt the increasingly common shivers spread down her spine and fan out into her stomach. Withdrawing her foot, she tried her hardest to look collected, even though her clothes were rumpled and she was blushing madly.  
"Outside."

"I can see that," he smirked, coming towards her from across the room, "but why?"

Katara fumbled for a good explanation, and responded tartly, "Why not?"

She knew it was a lousy comeback, and so did he. But he didn't need to laugh at it.

After storming out of the room and resuming packing with added energy, he finally stopped laughing at her and started the conversation again as if nothing had happened.

"You're leaving tomorrow."

Not finding any need to respond, Katara continued folding her clothing.

"Do you want to?"

Surprised by the question, she turned to find Zuko entirely too close for comfort. Taking a hasty step backwards, she thought about the answer.

"I'm not entirely sure I do," she said honestly, "but I'm going anyway."

Frowning in confusion, Zuko leaned back to examine her face in the dim torchlight. Seeing her resolute expression, he told her bluntly, "That's stupid."

Irritated, Katara forget her earlier hesitation and stepped into him, looking back up at him audaciously.

"It is _not_ stupid. I'm going to travel to the Earth Kingdom in response to a few requests of aid."

"But you don't want to go."

Katara threw her hands up in frustration. "It's not a matter of wanting to go or not. That fact it, I need to go!"

His own temper starting to wear thin, Zuko retorted sharply, "Why do you _need _to go? Those people are perfectly capable of sorting out their own messes."

Placing her hands on her hips, Katara jutted her chin out challengingly. "Oh yeah? Well maybe I DO want to leave after all. Heaven knows, there's nothing to keep me here anyway."

Suddenly, the room's temperature rose a few degrees, and she found herself looking away from the Fire Lord's intense gaze. "No reason to stay here? Is that what you _really_ think, Katara?"

For one of the first times in her life, Katara had absolutely no idea how to respond.

Feeling distinctly uncomfortable, she forced herself to think of an answer, before stating as calmly as possible, "Is there? Aang doesn't need me here anymore, and you're running the nation smoothly, as well as acting like an almost normal human being for a change. I'm not needed here anymore, but I _am_ somewhere else. Don't you think that's reason enough to leave?"

At first Zuko said nothing. Then, he reached out and started playing with a strand of hair that had fallen from her messy bun. "You want to know what I think?"

Suddenly, Katara found it extremely hard to breathe, and only managed to perform an odd sort of nod-shake of her head.

"I think…I think you're entirely too dependant on feeling _needed._ I think you _need_ to be needed. And once you're no longer needed at one place, or by one person, you feel compelled to move onto the next place, the next person. That by giving all of yourself to someone, you'll become irreplaceable to them. They'll _need_ you."

Zuko smiled slowly at the look of shock on her face.

"You don't need to be here anymore. You've fulfilled your contract, and you're ready to move on, to the next call of duty. But for some reason," he stroked his thumb across her cheek lazily, causing her eyes to flutter closed against her will, "you find that you're _not_ ready to move on. You _want_ to stay behind. Even though no one needs you here, you're reluctant to leave." Leaning down to her ear, he whispered softly. "Katara."

"Mmm?"

Zuko watched as she involuntarily shivered as his breath tickled her ear.

"It's true, I don't _need_ you. I've got all the riches I'd ever need, plenty of things to keep me busy while I run a nation, and any number of women willing to be with me. As far as you're concerned, there is no _need_ for you to stay behind for me." He paused, crooking his mouth into a mysterious smile.

"But there definitely is a _reason_ for you to stay here. While I might not need you…I _want_ you. I don't need you to love me…I _want_ you to love me. I want to be able to see you anytime I want, not have to wait months while you're off saving the world from absolutely nothing, thinking that they desperately need your help. As far as I'm concerned, they can need you or they can not, but they won't _want_ you in the same way I do. I want to prove to you that being _wanted_ by me is ten thousand times better than being constantly _needed_ by everyone else.

Yes, I'm still selfish and egotistical and a pain in the ass. The only reason I've been a 'scarily nice person' recently, as someone so kindly put it, is because you've been here. I don't really want to be a despised by others for the rest of my life. So…please. Don't leave tomorrow."

Katara simply stood there, her brain slowly re-forming itself after exploding from what Zuko had just said. He was right, what could he ever need from her?

Nothing. But he _wanted_ her. Being _wanted_ by Zuko…that was something she had never thought about. But it was so _him_. He would never need her, because needing something implied that it was an emotional crutch. A crutch for a weak person. And Zuko was definitely _not_ a weak person. And neither was she. It was with startling clarity that Katara realised Zuko was completely and undeniably right. He didn't need her…and she didn't need him either. She _wanted _him in the same way he wanted her.

By the time she had reached this conclusion, Zuko was already standing facing away from her. "Zuko?" she said nervously.

When he didn't turn around, Katara felt an impish grin creep onto her face.

"You don't need me, fine. I don't expect you to, because I don't need you either. So I'm not staying for tomorrow."

When he turned around in disbelief, she bended the water out of the nearby vase and wrapped it around his torso in a flash. Not allowing Zuko time to retaliate, she quickly tugged him forward and grabbed him by the collar. Then she smiled sunnily into his extremely confused face.

"You don't have to worry about the fact you want me to love you. I already do. And don't worry about proving yourself, because I already know that you wanting me is ten thousand times better than being needed by anyone else. I'm not staying just for tomorrow, because I don'tneed you. I'm staying for as long as I want, because _I want you too."_

And she finished off her declaration by pulling him down into a mind-blowing kiss.

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**A/N:** So…what did you think? Please leave a review, because there's nothing I love better than getting feedback on my writing :)


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